Wer Hält Deine Hand (Who will hold your hand)
by Asche
Summary: Aya and Youji find themselves entangled in a mission that was not given by Kritiker because of one girl. non-yaoi
1. Eins

Wer Hält Deine Hand-I

Aya stood in the back of the bar, slender arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall and staring at the empty space where a band was soon to play. Youji was poised beside him, one shoulder against the wall, grinning under his mop of chestnut hair. He nudged his friend and looked at him over the rims of his dark glasses. "You'll like this Aya-_kun_-" before he could finish a young female voice drifted out of the speakers and into the audience.

"_Minna!_" A small woman with spiked ivory hair walked out onto the stage, snaking one fish-netted arm out above her head and waving to her fans that gathered in the room. "Thank you all for coming here tonight to support The Endless." She continued to speak in perfect Japanese but the light German accent she bore shone brightly through, accenting her syllables in places where a Japanese accent normally would not. "It means a lot to us that you have supported us for this long and I just want to say thank you." A few people clapped while others cheered and whistled. 

The lights began to fade and spill a blood red shine over the stage. The blonde girl took her place behind a set of drums as the other three members of the band made their entrance. First in line was a tall man, skin paler than the girls with waist length black hair and a bass guitar. He was followed in suit by a golden-blonde boy a guitar slung over his shoulder and another girl, taller than the first with a guitar of her own. She stepped up to the microphone.

"_Anou,_ Aya," Youji grinned, eyes gleaming. "These are some of the nicest pieces of work I've seen in Japan for sometime." Aya's violet eyes widened and then narrowed into slits.

"_Baka_." Aya growled. Youji only laughed and smiled at his friend. "We are not here to chase women, Youji-_kun_."

"I have been told that those boys up there are not bad themselves, if that is what you prefer." Youji's eyes flashed with a merciless gleam. Aya's jaw dropped every so slightly and he stared at Youji before muttering something unpleasant to him and turning away. "I'm just kidding Aya. They're all quite interesting, as people. I mean all of them are from somewhere else in the world," he continued, not really caring if Aya was listening or not. "They all came together here in Japan to form this little group called the Endless. They're hitting it off pretty well. I've seen them play here a few times."

"You seem quite knowledgeable on this subject." Aya said at last. 

"With two women as beautiful as those two, who, besides you, wouldn't be interested?" Youji smirked again and averted his gaze back to the stage as the performance began. The second girl picked up the microphone out of it's holder and began to speak. However, unlike the other girl, she spoke in her native tongue, complete with British accent.

"Hallo, tonight we are going to play for you a song written by myself and our drummer, Delirium. It is called_ Realm of Stars_." The girl put her microphone back in its stand and lifted her guitar to a ready position and threw a glance back to the blonde girl. The drummer then reached up to switch on her own microphone, which stood perched just in front of her, and nodded back to the brunette who was waiting for an "ok". A hard drum riff started the song before melding perfectly with a chord from the bass guitar. Soon the lead and rhythm guitar were mixed in too, drowning Youji in a world of lust, leaving Aya behind bored and leaning on the wall of a second class bar.

  
The show at the Purple Penguin night club lasted a good three hours. The group that had played, Endless, finished their last encore just past eleven 'o clock and they players disbanded for the night, going their separate ways. Youji grabbed Aya's arm and started heading towards a shadowed corner table. "Aya-_kun_, care for a drink?" The younger boy frowned as Youji sat down in a chair and signaled a waitress.

"It doesn't look like you have given me a choice." Youji only smirked in reply.

"Loosen up Aya-_kun_. Have fun." Youji reached across the table and grabbed Aya by the wrist and pulling him down into a seat beside him. "Find a woman, have a drink. Live." Aya stared hard at Youji before putting his head into his arms atop the table. He was tired and his head was aching from the loud music that had blasted his ears for the last two-point-seven hours. Coarse industrial was not a genre that had ever suited his taste, but besides the headache it gave him, after listening to this particular band, he could say he liked it more than he had earlier that evening.

Youji shook his head at the younger man. Aya had no idea how to relax. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and put it to his lips trying to quiet a sudden craving. Within minutes, a young brunette waitress walked up to their table and smiled brightly, curly hair framing high pink cheekbones and big lavender eyes. Youji took a puff off his cigarette and offered her one of his charming smiles. His eyes raked over her, taking in the skin-hugging vinyl that stretched across her upper body and her long tan legs that sported a pair of high-heeled boots at the feet. The waitress coughed uncomfortably trying to draw his eyes back to her face.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet. Youji stared at her face a moment before setting a frown deep on his features.

"Are you Destiny?" She nodded, blushing. 

"Just Torii for now though. I'm at work." She winked and pulled an order pad out of the pocket of her apron. Aya twisted his head to the side and leaned his cheek on his arm so he could face the older boy and shoot him a curious look.

"_Aa_. Of course of course. Aya-_kun_, this is Destiny-Torii, the singer from the band that just played." Youji grinned at Aya before turning his gaze back to the waitress. "You have a beautiful voice Torii."

"Thank you," She blushed deeper. "So have you boys decided what you want yet?" Back to business. Youji assumed she was playing hard to get and Aya was thinking how horrible her Japanese was as she stumbled over every word she spoke. It was so obvious she was English.

"I'd like a scotch please. On the rocks." He glanced down to his companion who had once again hidden his face in his arms. "Same for him." The girl scribbled down something on the pad and looked up, still smiling.

"Anything else sir?" As if long planned, Youji reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. 

"Only you." he purred, a cat-like grin playing on his lips as he replied to her question and moved in to steal a kiss. Torii's eyes were wide as a cats as she mentally translated what he had said. Her face contorted with anger when the words registered, mouth opening and closing again in shock. She stood up and let her hand fly, knocking Youji's face away from her cheek with a vicious slap and backing away from him with eyes of fire.

"You-You ASSHOLE!" she sputtered, screaming at him in her native language. Youji watched as she stormed off, thinking silently to himself about her 'cute' rump. When she was out of sight he turned to Aya with a puzzled look. 

"Asshole?"

"_Bakayaro._" Aya said evenly, though his violet eyes were laughing. "Let's go home Youji-_kun_. We have done what we needed to do." The two stood and left the bar, never to receive their order for that night. Youji left 500 yen on the table for the pretty young waitress.

"…And then the asshole grabbed me!" Manni laughed and tried to stifle it behind the back of her hand. Torii had to resist the urge to break the shot glass she had just cleaned against the wall. Manni only laughed harder, collapsing against the wet counter she was wiping of and snickering into the rag in her hand. Torii whirled on her, giving her the glare of death. Manni's condition worsened into an all out spasm.

"_Anou,_ Torii, he's a male. He can't help it. Besides, you should take it as a compliment. It means he liked you." She paused thoughtfully and looked crookedly towards the ceiling. "A lot." She concluded with a smile. She turned her focus back to her work and wiped up a puddle of stale beer that one of the nights drunkards had drooled on to the counter hours earlier. "At least he didn't get rough…I mean, we could have had to call Darren over to kick him out." Torii looked up at her and started laughing.

"Darren couldn't kick a baby's ass Manni. You know that." Torii started speaking with a lisp in her voice. "Stop that! No fighting here boys! Enough!" She flipped her hand and the two girls broke down into giggles. Darren was the owner of the bar, their friend, and the gay bouncer. Torii stifled her chuckles. "Anyways, I didn't give that bastard a chance to get rough." She sighed, still twitching with giggles in sporadic moments. The chime of the doorbell drew their attention away from their boss, but their eyes remained on their cleaning duty. "Get lost. We're closed for tonight." 

"Not for me you're not." The voice was deep and spoken in English that dripped with a German accent.

"It's two 'o clock in the morning buster, I'm closed to anyone and everyone. She turned around to look at him after flicking the light off behind the wine bottles. The man stepped deeper into the room, his long trenchcoat shrouding him in mystery. He threw off the hood revealing a brush of blonde hair that stuck out in every imaginable direction. A harsh frown twisted his lips upside down.

"I am looking for Manni Lorenz." Her name was pronounced perfectly, flowing over his tongue as if he had said it a million times before. Manni looked up.

"Kristian…" she whispered, her green eyes wide as she stared at him. Torii didn't over look the shaking of her hands as Manni grasped her cleaning rag tighter in her fist and answered with dry fright. "I haven't seen you for awhile."

"Come. Let us go. We must speak." He stretched his hand out to her and looked towards the door. Manni stumbled with her words before answering back meekly in German.

"I have to finish work. I can't leave yet."

"She can finish what is left to be finished. The car is waiting." Manni sighed and hung her towel up and took off her apron and threw it on the rack. Torii narrowed her eyes and leaned over the counter to look at the man. She wondered briefly how many guns and knives he had hidden in the pockets of his coat.

"Do you know this bastard Manni?" she asked, her brow furrowed as she studied her friend. She wondered what had given her the courage to speak so brashly, especially after imagining he could be a weapon wielding maniac.

"Yes, I do. Would you mind finishing up for me? I have to go." 

"Sure…I'll see you tomorrow right?" Torii asked, worry seeping into her voice. Manni merely nodded and walked around the end of the counter and over the Kristian's side where she looped her arm in his. They walked out the door. Torii shook her head and finished cleaning up.

Moonlight spilled across the dirty pavement as they exited the bar. As promised, a black car waited, offering private space in the back. _"Only Kristian would bring a limo to give someone their death sentence."_ She thought dryly. He opened the door and placed a hand on her back as he guided her in. "Where are we going?" She asked quietly, scooting to the other side of the seat to allow him room. He climbed in and shut the door. With a snap of his fingers the limo started to move. Manni decided he wasn't going to answer her questions and she was right.

"It has been one year, my dear." His voice was deep and it sounded like more of a growl than human speech but it never failed to send shivers up Manni's spine. "_Ein Jahre_." He repeated, switching into his own language, a language that made Manni remember everything about herself that she wanted to forget. "One year since I let you run off with that little friend of yours, what is her name-" He paused, taping a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Torii was it?" He smiled at the twinge of anger that jolted through Manni's clenched jaw. "I let you run off with that girl and those boys with the band. I allowed you to quit your job and leave my home. But the condition was you paid me 20,000 DM in exactly one year. Remember_ Leibe_? If we had not made that agreement, you would not be here now, no?" the girl shook her head, keeping her eyes downcast. "If you don't give me the money you'll be nothing more than what you were this time last year." He pushed his fingers under her chin and turned her head to face him. "Nothing but a low-class whore who can't perform well enough to make a living. Do you really want to go back to that?" He ran a teasing thumb across her lower lip. She shook her head trying to hold back the tears that sprung up in her eyes and pulled her face free from his hand.

"You have two weeks left. You had better have that money by next Monday afternoon at one 'o clock. If it is not in my hands by then Manni Lorenz, _you_ will be." He smiled darkly and reached over to place a hand on her thigh. "I have missed having you around. I haven't had anyone quite as…entertaining…as you since you left me." He whispered in her ear, letting his hot breath trickle down her neck. "Maybe if you do me a favor tonight I'll give you an extra week to get the money to me." He let his hand ride a little higher on her leg, hiking her skirt up even further revealing unmarred white skin. She couldn't stop the tears that trickled down her cheeks. She shook her head.

"Nein." She whispered, her voice hoarse. She gritted her teeth together and shook her head placing her hands over his and pushing it away. "Never." She repeated more forcefully, trying her best not to scream out in disgust.

"As you wish." He growled, pulling his hand away. "But don't forget Manni, I always get what I want. You know that. You learned that back in Berlin." Manni glared at him, green eyes bright with tears under her defiance. "Driver, stop the car." He sized her chin again as the car stopped, bringing her face close to his. "But know this, and do not forget it, if I don't have the money by the time arranged, your body and your life are mine. And don't you bother running away. I'll just find you again. Do you understand me _frauline_?" He glared at her, searching her face. She nodded slowly but didn't speak and kept her eyes trained on his angry face. He threw her head to the side with a jerk of his wrist. "Good. Get out of my sight."

He reached over and pulled the handle on his side, swinging the car door open into the dark night. Manni glared at him evenly before climbing over his lap to get out of the car, expecting a trick at any moment as she carefully placed herself over him and stepped onto the pavement outside. "Monday after next, Lorenz." Was the last reminder before the door slammed shut and the wheels skidded loudly on the streets leaving only harsh memories flashing behind her eyes as she ran home through the allies of Tokyo, crying in the night.


	2. Zwei

Wer Hält Deine Hand- II

A horde of screaming schoolgirls stood outside the windows of the _Koneko Sumu no Ie_ waiting for one of the four flower-boys to come unlock the doors. A brown haired girl decided to be bold and lean against the window. She cupped her hands over her eyes as she peered in and looked for the shopkeepers who she, and countless other girls came to see every morning. A grin spread across her face as she found four figures moving around in the shop. Her large blue eyes grew into giant throbbing hearts and she managed to squeal out, "_ANOU_!! LUCKY!! They're all here today!" before turning back to her friends and jumping up and down excitedly. Two different pigtailed girls took her place at the window, trying to catch a glimpse of what their friend had seen.

"KUDOU YOUJI!!" they screamed instantly, their voices blending together in a high-pitched squeal as they found one of the males they were searching for. The two giggled maniacally and threw themselves into each others arms, hugging each other in bubbling happiness. Inside the _Koneko,_ things weren't quite so carefree.

Ken rubbed his forehead and rolled his brown eyes to the ceiling. "_Anou_…don't they ever quiet down?" The morning was just beginning, it was too early for a headache. He picked up a box of potted flower arrangements and threw his head in Omi's direction. "Omi-_kun_, is the rest of Minako-_san's _order ready? It has to be delivered at the Shinto Shrine by nine-thirty. I only have half an hour to make it all the way over to Jyuuban!" 

"_Hai, Hai,_ Just a moment Ken-_kun!_" the blonde Omi replied, nimble fingers working quickly to tie a finishing bow on the final bouquet of flowers. When finished, he set them in a box with several others identical bouquets of freesias and baby's breath before hefting the box up into his arms and walking out the back door where the car waited. Ken followed him with his box of potted flowers and his car keys. 

"Aya-_kun_, could you get the door and those Mums for me?" The older boys set aside his clippers and rose bush as he grunted an affirmative and proceeded to pick up a box of multi-colored flowers. He reached the door and pushed it open, allowing Ken to go through first and set down the load of clay pots into the back of their delivery van. Ken took a quick glance around before Omi shut the vehicles sliding side door. "Is that everything?" Ken was almost whispering to himself as he climbed into the drivers seat and started the car, still checking, and silently counting the number of flowerpots. Aya slid the garage door open and walked back into the shop with Omi in tow as Ken pulled out into the street and headed towards Jyuuban for the afternoon.

Omi sighed and glanced at his watch. It was a quarter till nine, they opened their doors on the hour- at least when he was home. On weekdays, at school he wondered if the shop ever opened at all. "Aya-_kun_, do you mind if I open the doors early?" The redhead looked up and met Omi's eyes briefly before grunting affirmative. Omi didn't even bother to ask Youji, seeing as the other boy would probably grab his coat within fifteen minutes and leave. 

He walked to the door and turned the key. The doors flew open against the flood as girls pooled into the room , grabbing at their respective flower-boy. A few sighed and walked over towards Omi, with quiet mutterings that sounded suspiciously like, "_Maa Maa_! Ken-_kun _isn't here." Omi welcomed them with a tired laugh and even conversed with one or two for a moment before a loud crash was heard.

A girl stared at the flower pot that she had just knocked over. Aya stood over her with a frown as she bit her fingertips, tears threatening to spill from her shaking eyes. Without a word, he bent over and picked up the flower in his hands and carried it to the counter. The girl followed him, nearly running to keep up. "_G…Gomenasai…"_ She apologized softly, her voice frightfully quiet.

"_Hn._" Aya pulled a new pot out of the cabinet and set it on the counter, looking over the girls head. "If you are not going to buy anything, Get out." some of the girls whined but slowly made their way out of the shop.

__

"Aya no yaro." One muttered as the door shut with the chime of the bell. Aya lifted the uprooted plant and set it in a new pot, pouring soil around it as the girl watched. When he was finished, he slid it towards her with a crooked smile. It was the best he could do. He'd watched the girl before the plant had fallen, and unlike the others, she wasn't screaming his name in that high-pitched voice that most pre-pubescent girls seemed to have. She had only been looking quietly at the flowers on the wall, probably the only real customer for the early morning. 

"For me?" Aya nodded and the girl broke into a grin. She pulled the flower pot closer and hugged it to her chest, blushing. _"Arigatou…Aya-san." _Her voice was a quiet whisper as she pulled the flower from the counter and turned to leave the shop. She glanced one behind her, pink cheeks smiling as the bell signaled her leave.

"That was sweet Aya-_kun_."Omi said from behind him, grinning widely behind a fern that he held in hand. Aya's face had already turned to stone again and he frowned at Omi.

"Hnn. It was an accident." The slap of a magazine on a table interrupted the two and Youji stood, slipping on his jacket, just as Omi had predicted.

"Well, I'm gone. Don't forget tonight. Six. I'll be home before then. Remind Ken. At the Penguin. Later." Though his choppy, fragmented sentences would have not even made sense to someone speaking Gibberish, Omi and Aya understood perfectly and chose not to comment. A mission wasn't something to be spoken openly about, especially in public. He walked out the door, the chime echoing in the shop once more.

"Ma~nni!" Torii bent over her friend who was still asleep and called her name out in a high sing-songy voice. Her fingers tripped the light switch, causing an unshielded light-bulb to illuminate the small white room. "Manni, get up. We're going to be late for work. It's already five." A groan escaped Manni's throat and she rolled over, burying her face into her pillow and pulling the blanket over her head.

It was no wonder that the girl didn't want to get up. She had come home crying just before dawn, around six a.m. Torii had been sitting wide awake in bed at the time, flashes of a brutal nightmare replaying behind her eyes as she heard the door open down the hall. The sound of Manni's muffled sobs caught her ears but they were abruptly cut off when the soft bang of her bedroom door was heard. The thought of comforting her friend crossed her mind, but for the life of her, she couldn't get up the courage to slip out of her warm, safe bed. In her dream, someone was waiting for her, and the presence hadn't yet left her senses. She hid under her blanket and went back to sleep.

"Torii?" Manni's tired voice drew her back, and she noticed her friend peeking up at her from under a silky black pillow. The older girls attention visibly came back and she looked at Manni, a friendly smile taking away the blank look in her eyes.

"C'mon Man-. We gotta get ready to go to work." Manni nodded, stretching long, thin arms out above her head with a groan. Retracting into a ball she sighed and rolled out of bed. She landed on her knees with a thump, stretching one more time before pulling her bottom dresser drawer open and rummaging through it. Torii started to leave the room but paused in the door way and turned back to Manni. "Say…Who was that bloke last night, Man?"

Manni selected a short black tee-shirt and slammed the drawer shut with a lingering bang. A frown was set on her lips as she stood and whirled around to the closet. "Old friend. Visiting from Germany." She opened the door with more force than necessary, saying nothing when it slammed into the wall hard enough to leave a dent. Metal scraped across metal as she pushed hangers aside looking for the one that her form-fitting black leather pants hung on. Her frown depend with each article of clothing she passed that wasn't what she was searching for.

"Must have been some friend," Torii said at length, carefully choosing her words. "The way you were trembling I would have guessed you were afraid. 'Guess it was only the excitement, right?" Her tone oozed with sarcasm. She looked at her blonde friend, watching her face for some twitch of emotion but found nothing but anger. 

"We had a lot of making up to do," Manni hissed at last, creamy green eyes narrowed to slits. She found her pants and jerked them off the hanger letting the twisted piece of metal clatter against the wall until it landed on the floor, waiting to trip someone. "Now if you'll get your head out of my ass-" she pushed past Torii, knocking her out of the doorway and heading down the hall, "I'm going to take my shower." The bathroom door slammed shut and the sound of running water drowned out the ringing Torii's ears.

The two made it to the Purple Penguin two minutes away from being late. The after-work crowd was at a healthy number. Japanese business men, and women alike, seemed to huddle in every crevice of the room, content to sip their wine and talk loudly. It was usual. The two girls began to weave in, out, and between people just to make it to the far-side of the bar where their boss was waiting. They clocked in and grabbed their aprons, Torii pausing to tie her hair up in a pony tail before sticking a pencil behind her ear. "Manni-" Torii lifted her chin, averting her eyes from her order pad only to see that Manni had already walked out into the crowd to find a table to wait on. Torii rushed to catch her, springing into a jog as she brushed through the crowd. "Please? Tell me what's going on with you!" 

Torii had pestered her the entire trip to the bar, begging her friend to tell her what was wrong. It took all Manni's self-control not to slap the other girl across the face and tell her to shut up. The thought of slapping her best friend had never before crossed her mind, but under the stress she felt, strings were snapping. She didn't even toss a glance back at Torii as she allowed herself to be consumed in the mob. It was if the older girl had never even spoken. Torii stopped in her tracks and sighed shaking her head before spinning on her heel and disappearing in the opposite direction.

Torii walked across the floor until she found herself at a familiar corner table where a man sat quietly in the shadows. She kept her eyes downcast as she absently recited her script as a waitress, slowly pulling the pencil from behind her ear. Broken English replied to her broken Japanese.

"I never got my scotch last night." She didn't have to see his face to know he was grinning widely. She frowned and her dark gaze darkened. 

"_The asshole."_ Her mind whispered. She recognized the teasing tone and sparks began to fly behind her eyes. This was someone she didn't have patience for tonight. She stepped back a pace and grunted. "You again? Christ." Without any further comment, she turned and walked away. Youji smirked, thinking about asking her out for Friday when she came back around, but his _PHS_ rang drawing him away from his thoughts.

"Balinese here. Siberian?" Youji kept his voice neutral save the slight questioning tone at the end of his sentence. 

"Bombay here." Omi informed him on the other end. "Any sign of the target yet?"  
"Negative. Abyssinian or Siberian seen anything yet?" 

"_Iie. _Not yet. Keep in touch Balinese. Bombay out." There was a beep and Youji's cell phone cut out. With a anxious sigh, he settled back into a relaxed position with his feet on the table, keeping a sleepy eye open, watching for their target. 

The target was a middle aged Japanese business man, easy to spot due to abnormal height and a nervous twitch in his left eye. Himemiya Shinobu was his name, a ring leader of a small-time child slave trade and drug dealer on the side. Persia said something about connections with higher ups in society but no elaboration had been made in the video. Youji growled in his throat and rolled his head backwards. He hoped this guy would show up soon, he had a hot date at nine.

As if obeying his silent wish, a shrill cry was heard across the room and Himemiya made his appearance. Youji checked his watch and pulled a small knob on the side, releasing the sharp garrote wire within. Standing from his chair, he tossed a quick glance around the room looking for his teammates, easily spotting Aya perched in the rafters like a cat who had spotted a mouse. The younger assassin's sword was drawn and he was preparing to jump down and make the kill.

By the time Youji noticed the hostage in the targets arms it was too late. "_K'so!_" he growled, sprinting forward, calling out Aya's code-name. "Abyssinian! _MATTE_!" The redhead landed one sword-length away from his target, his eyes shifting only momentarily to his partner in reassurance before returning to Himemiya and the young blonde hostage in his arms. 

Aya stared into the man's eyes, cold violet meeting frightened dark chocolate, gageing the other quietly. "_D-dare_?" The man's voice quivered, as did his hold on the gun. It didn't get past Aya, who held it sword steady. "Who are you?" He repeated, no less afraid. The assassin said nothing, and stared numbly at the two as Himemiya raised the gun to the girls head. She cried weakly in protest, her mouth falling open as she stared at Aya, begging him without words.

"Weiß. Hunters of darkness." Aya lowered his sword and stepped slowly forward, gripping the gun in Himemiya's shaking hand, which offered no protest. So concentrated on Aya, the man didn't even notice as two lean arms rose over his head and laced a thin wire around his neck. Youji pulled it taut and Himemiya released the waitress, and the gun into Aya's arms, his gecko-like fingertips immediately searching for the wire, clawing furiously at the invisible force. 

Slippery red blood trickled down his neck and fingers, dying the white collar of his shirt. He choked and gagged as he tried to breathe in, blood leaking up through parted bluing lips. Youji pulled and pinned the smaller man against his chest, lips set in a tight frown as he strangled the life from the dark beast. Himemiya's body went slack and Youji dropped him to the floor, his wire retracting into his watch. He turned and ran without looking back.

Aya, on the other hand, stood still, rooted in place, his violet eyes wide and cheeks pink as the tiny waitress buried her face in the folds of his jacket, her arms laced tightly around his waist. She had clung to him when the target released her, and Aya had no clue what to do. _"K'so."_ He whispered, gently pushing her away as the crowds gathered around. The girl released him and glanced up to meet his eyes. Aya looked away, his color deepening. 

"Manni!!" Torii's voice interrupted, frantic as she pushed through the crowd. Manni turned to her, forgetting the redhead as she threw her arms around the other girl. Tears suddenly came to her eyes and her voice turned into a ragged sob.

"Torii!" she cried, "I'm sorry!" Torri's only reply was to hug her back and hush her quietly. Maybe now the girl would open up and tell her what was going on. Torii suspected, and not without reason, that the dead man behind them was in someway connected with what Manni wouldn't tell her. A blur of movement caught her attention and she looked up, over Manni's shoulder to see her friends rescuer slip away into the crowd unnoticed. He was gone before she could cry out for him to wait. Biting her lip she pulled away from Manni and cupped her face in her hands.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked, studying the blondes face carefully. 

"I'm ok Torii…I'm ok now." She hugged Torii again and stood to her feet, wiping her sleeve over her eyes. She pulled Torii up with her and slung an arm over her shoulder as she did a quick once-over of the room, searching for the man who had saved her only moments ago. "Where did he go?"

"C'mon Manni. He's gone…" Torii nudged Manni forward, dragging her into the crowd that parted for them to get through. "Let's get you all cleaned up, hm?" They trudged through the now silent mass of people, their eyes downcast away from the shocked stares. They walked into the backroom and shut the door with a click. "Will you tell me what is going on?" Torii's soft but demanding voice drew a sigh from Manni as she climbed onto the counter by the sink and turned the knob on the faucet.

She held her hand under the spray of water and let it leak through her fingers and into the drain below. "Personal stuff." Manni kicked her feet absently against the cabinet door under her, drumming a familiar beat. "His name is Kristian Sonne." She admitted at last, dipping her head under the cool water and let it soak her hair and dribble across her face. She sat up again and ran her hands up her face, rivulets of water spilling down her arms as she raked her wet hair back. "I lived with him when I lived in Germany. All that bullshit I told you about my Aunt and Uncle taking care of me after my parents died? Well it's just that." She pause to gage Torii's reaction, looking for the resentment she expected to find. Discovering none, she continued. "I lived alone before meeting Kristian, selling everything I had." The emptiness in her eyes reflected the old memories that were hidden just below the surface. "…And I really did not have very much." It was then that Torii had realized she had not meant material possessions. "Kristian found me when I was fifteen and took me in. I assume it was out of pity, but he offered me a place to live, so I accepted the offer. It wasn't long after I had been there that I realized it was a place that I did not want to stay in." Torii by this point in Manni's story had settled down opposite her on another counter, listening intently. "There was a price for living there, but with nowhere else, what was I to do?"

"Remember when we met in England a couple years back?" Torii nodded and Manni offered a crooked smile. "I was with Krisitan during that time. Seventeen years old and already a blatant whore. Meeting you and the guys was the best thing that could have happened to me. When I met you, it really made me see how poor of a position I was in. I had realized it before but not to the extremity that I did then." She stopped for a moment realizing she was getting off track, but then again in a speech confessing the foundation of lies you had built a relationship upon, never really had a specific track. "I was in England because Krisitan was making deals. Of what sort I have never been quite sure, but it gave me an idea…and I asked him if I could make a deal with him." 

"A deal?" Torii had been silent until this interjection, but Manni didn't seem to mind the interruption and nodded solemnly. 

"Yes. He told me that if I could pay him twenty thousand Marks in exactly one year, that I could be free to live my life. That is when I called you to arrange plans to live with you in London. It was after that we decided to move to Japan, and I had at the time thought it would keep Kristian away too. So all was set, the deal was made, now it is nearly a year later, and I don't even have a fourth of the money in my name. I've tried to get it, believe me, but life isn't as sweet as it sometimes should be. Looks like I'll be going home soon."

"Damnit Manni! What do you mean "go home"? Run away for chrissakes!" Torii was suddenly enraged, her normally peaceful face contorted with anger and a hint of fear.

"He will find me Torii. It is like he's everywhere. No matter where I go…" Her voice cracked and she slid into the strained silence between them. "I can't run forever, so I may as well face him now."

"Go to Canada, stay with Rhys's brother. Or go home to New Oreleans with Draven. The band can take a break. You'll be safe there-"

"Didn't you listen to me? I told you, no matter where I go he will find me!" She yelled it this time, enunciating clearly as she glared irately at her friend. She raked her hands through her hair again gritting her teeth and turning her angry gaze to the floor. "It will only complicate matters for me if I run away this time." Her voice was softer now. "I am sorry for yelling." She tried to offer a crooked, pasted-on smile. "No worries mate," she began in a terrible imitation of an English accent like Torii's, "everything will be ok. I promise." 

"I hope so." Torii inched nearer and embraced her friend. 

*****

Ok. Yeah. It took me forever. I'm sorry. I've bought a computer for myself and have been quite busy with school stuff. *nods* I had to re-write all that I had written because well. A: I am a perfectionist and a rough draft doesn't cut it for me. And B: the A: drive on the other computer is corrupted and destroyed the entire story that I had. Without that I didn't feel right about moving on, so I rewrote it. I'm much happier with it. Sorry it's so much Manni and Torii so far. Yeah blah blah, damn those original characters. I hate stories with original characters. Anyways- I promise to have much more Weiß in here. (Lots of Aya and Youji since…we all love them so. Danke Schon, Asche.


	3. Drei

Drei-

Drei-

The sun hung high over her head in the blue sky, a typical blue sky for the typical warm summer morning in Tokyo, Japan. Manni Lorenz wasn't quite sure she liked it all that much, even after the seven months that she had lived in the city. At home in Germany, there had always been more rain than sun and the days were most certainly colder. She found that she would much rather be tolerating the dreary weather rather than surviving in a constant heat wave.

The heat itself was enough to bear, and that was leaving out the brightness of the sun (which never seemed to hide behind the clouds) and the omnipresent blue sky. She stretched out a long white arm, eyes narrowing as the sunlight glinted off of her paper-white skin creating a glow that hurt her sensitive eyes. She frowned suddenly, tucking her arm behind her back and twisting her fingers with those of her other hand as she remembered Draven's jokes about her being an albino, and how she was so white she would "get lost in the snow." 

"Thank God it never snows around here. Right Draven?" She mocked in a dry tone, her nose scrunched up as she imagined kicking her arrogant lover square in the head. She found herself frowning as she blamed him for him for her early morning walk she was now engaged in, when she should be in bed resting. But of course, he had invited himself over to sleep at her place last night and had inevitably drunk himself silly with the other two members of the band when all knew full well that the two girls both Manni and Torii had to work the late-shift the following evening.

She had woken up just after seven, to the silent dance of the sun as it peeked through the window in her room to play with the shadows of the sakura trees on her floor. She watched it blankly for a bit before the beer-stained breath of Draven and snoring of Torii and Rhys drove her out of the apartment.

Morning walks however weren't a complete stranger to her, rather, a lost friend that she had not heard from in ages. When she had first moved to Tokyo, she would wander out every morning, exploring the district and getting her "daily exercise." But the longer she stayed in Japan, the less she went out. When asked, she would simply say she had visited all the shops and there wasn't much more to see, so she'd just sit around in her apartment and jam on her drums, sometimes doing a duet with Torii and her guitar when no one else was around.

Manni sighed pushing the darker thoughts out of her head and raising her face to the sky. She stretched her arms over her head, her shirt rising over her navel with the motion, revealing a tattoo of a Celtic cross. She lowered her arms with a sigh and her shirt slid back down, hiding once more the design. The clunk of her boots thudded heavily on the ground, echoing loudly through the empty streets and giving her the illusion that for once in a long time, she was completely alone.  
She walked on, coming to Keiori Park. Light dew still clung to the shards of grass that reached up towards the flowers that grew strong and tall around the empty benches. It was quiet now, but usually it was filled with young love, poets, and the occasional chatter of school girls as they walked home from class. Manni didn't feel right about disturbing the park's stillness, so she continued her trek, wherever it was going.

Again the rhythmic pounding of her boots filled her ears and she stared blankly at the pieces of chewed gum that were spit carelessly upon the sidewalk for someone like her to step on. A purple splotch on the ground caught her attention and her lips parted as amethyst eyes and ruby hair passed through her mind. "Who could he have been…?" she asked her self quietly, her brow furrowed in thought. "He can't be one of Kristian's men, because the man who grabbed me was one of Kristian's. I recognized him." She sighed, kicking a stray stone that lay in her path. "Whoever that red-head was, he must have had an ulterior motive. After all, who in their right mind would risk themselves just to save a drummer from a second-rate band that could only find a gig in a foreign bar, not to mention having to work in the same bar to make a living." She sighed again and wished that whoever he was, he had just left her to the dogs, to die a fate she was destined to. If she was dead now, she wouldn't have to go back to a dead end job and failing music career and she wouldn't be in debt twenty thousand deutsche marks.

Tears stung her eyes. There was no way that she could get that money. What money she did earn through bartending and music was all poured into living expenses. Even with Torri, Rhys and Draven put together, she wouldn't even have a fourth of what she owed, However, had her friends had they money, she could never had asked to borrow it. "I never should have made that deal!" she cursed herself brushing away tears just as they slipped from her eyes.

Blinking her eyes to clear her blurry vision, she slowly realized she had wandered into an unfamiliar area. "Sheiße," she growled under her breath, her debt now forgotten as she struggled to figure out where she had wandered to. Tall buildings loomed over her and a maze of narrow alleyways surrounded her. She wondered how long she had been walking along while thoughts clouded her mind, and grey cement her vision. Unsure of whether to move forward or turn around and go back, risking getting further lost either way, she decided to trudge on ahead, hoping to come across people. A group of friendly people preferably.

The heat of the day was rising, the light film of sweat covering her body was proof. The familiar sound of her boots bounced off the walls of two buildings, as she entered another alley. She quickened her pace, a dampening feeling following her. Stumbling in her sudden rush, she heard off beat footsteps slow to a stop behind her. Turning her head around to peer behind her, she caught a glimpse of a tall blonde behind her. Green eyes widening she regained her balance and started to walk forward again, a bit faster. 

"A suit in this part of town?" she wondered silently debating whether to run or act indifferent. Daring one more glance over her shoulder, she took in the dark glasses, broad shoulders, and square chin and determined he was definitely of German blood. Doubtlessly one of Kristian's best. Cursing again, she took a right turn at the next corner. Commercial noise sounded from somewhere in the distance, a promising sign to her quickly heightening pulse.

Daylight shone like a door way at the end of a long alleyway. Glancing once more behind her she still found the man following her, silently and almost innocently. "Maybe I'm just paranoid and he's just…going the same way." She sped up none the less, anxious to find people. "Who am I kidding? Kristian is harassing me and no one dressed like that wanders these parts of town." She broke into a sprint, jumping over puddles of god-knows-what and piles of trash, her heart set on reaching the opening that stood before her, so close but so far. 

Lacking the courage to take one more look at the man behind her, she didn't know for sure that he was running after her, but her instinct told her he was. Pushing on an extra dash of speed she burst from the alleyway and into the afternoon shopping crowd. Immediately her purser stopped, watching her melt into the flood of people and out of sight.

Manni found herself walking dazedly through the rush of people, taking in many storefronts. Swimming as through caught in a river, she made her way over to the far side and entered the nearest shop. A gentle chime sounded above her head as she pushed open a glass door and let it slide closed behind her. The shop was quiet except for a gentle tenor voice bantering softly with a deeper voice in the background. 

Planters hung from the ceiling with many different types of flowers and flowerless plants dangling over the edges, some with shoots long enough to tickle her hair. She allowed a smile to steal her lips a moment as the mad rush she had just escaped drown behind her. The plants were all around her, she realized before long and she paused a moment to cup a lily in her hands and smell it's sweet scent.

"_K'so!_ _Youji -kun! _Let go!_" _The bantering in the back grew louder until it was followed by a crash, and the light tenor laugh. Manni crept up towards the back of the shop and peeked around the corner to see a brunette man laying on the floor with some potted plants that he had obviously knocked down when he fell. She couldn't see far enough around a display case however, to see the tall red head that stood over him at the counter, his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl. The brunette seemed undaunted.

"_Anou,_ Aya-_kun_, lighten up! I was just kidding."

"Hnn." Aya didn't look at Youji. The latter just smirked and shook his head as he stood, brushing himself off and settling back into a chair with a magazine in hand. Manni stepped forwards a little and gasped when she caught a glimpse of Aya, recognition setting in instantly. Aya looked up at her upon hearing her and narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

"_Mou! _ Aya! So rude!" Youji tossed his magazine away and stood up. He looked at the Manni who stood before them, eyes wide like a trapped rat. "Can I help you?" Youji glided forward and was stopped when Aya placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop Youji." Aya took a long pause as if trying to figure out what he was going to say next. "What are you here for?"

"I just stumbled in here. I…I am sorry." She backed up and ran into a column holding a plant. It began to teeter, ready to fall. Youji moved forward and steadied it, looping an arm through her elbow. 

"_Masaka! _You're Delirium!" Youji smiled excitedly and led her over to the table, offering her a seat.

"Yes…" A blush crept into her cheeks and she sat down.

"Youji, she is the girl from…last night. The waitress…" Aya looked down, almost angry. Youji ignored his anger and took a seat beside the girl.

"_Hai_…so she is." Youji offered a friendly smile, and it took a little bit of the quiver out of Manni. "What are you doing here?"

"I…well, I was being followed, and as I said, I just stumbled in here."

"Followed?" Aya decided to speak and looked down on her, suspicious and curious.

"Yes." Manni suddenly glanced up and around, remembering that she was on the run. "Can you tell me where I am? I'm afraid I am lost…" She paused and bit her lip, not giving them enough time to answer. "Who are you guys?"

"Aa…First things first." Youji chimed in. "Who is following you? Are you in trouble?" The door chime sounded at the other end of the shop, halting all conversation. Manni visibly jumped, and her pale face grew white. "Aya…take her into the backroom." Aya nodded once, giving an affirmative grunt. 

"He's German." Manni whispered in Youji's ear as she stood up. Aya latched a hand around her upper arm and they exited out of the shop and into a store room. Youji draped himself over the cash register with a bored look on his face. A blonde man in a black business suit walked up to the counter with a certain affirmation in his step.

"Has a blonde girl come in here?" He spoke in rough English and Youji arched an eyebrow. He understood a little English, but not much more than he needed to seduce an American girl into bed. The man repeated himself slower, still in the foreign tongue.

"Blonde…girl?" Youji tried to say the words as he grinned but they came out in a muddled insult to the English language. The German barely understood him. "Yes. Yes I have one last night!" Youji grinned wider and laughed, slapping the taller man on the shoulder. The German frowned.

"Not last night. Now. In here." The man gestured around the room. Youji cocked his head to the side and gave the other a funny look. "Listen!" The German reached into his pocket and began to pull something out. Youji's demeanor suddenly changed and his sense of danger grew.

"Not here." He removed his own weapon from behind the desk, allowing it's presence to be known, but keeping it a mystery as to whether it be a knife or a gun. He pointed towards the door. "Out." The man slowly backed up, murder on the tip of his tongue. He released his grip on the gun in his pocket.

"I will be back." The chime of the door signaled his leave. Youji smiled and walked towards the back room where Aya had taken the girl.

"Goddamn foreigners." 

"Who is the man after you?" Aya asked in his demanding way. He was leaning against the wall in front of Manni who was sitting on a box of clay pots. She kept her eyes cast down to the ground, both intimidated and embarrassed at being scrutinized so closely. Even when she did try to meet his eyes, she couldn't hold his gaze long before her cheeks turned pink. "His eyes are so pretty…" she thought. She blushed again and Aya repeated his question. She jumped with a start.

"I don't know who he is!" the words rushed out of her mouth in a jumble. She covered her mouth with a hand and blushed deeper, letting her hair drop to cover her face. "A…are you going to kill me? Like you killed that man last night?" The door creaked open and Youji slipped in taking his place beside Aya on the wall.

"_Mou, he_ didn't kill anyone last night." The girl looked up, confused and ready to accuse him of lying. "How could he have killed a man with you in his arms?" Youji continued, grinning all the while. This time Aya blushed, his pale cheeks turning a light pink. When he finally regained his composure he glared up at Youji, eyes narrowed and lips pursed like a pouting little boy. "And no, before you ask it, I am not going to hurt you. I can't really vouch for the stone there though." He jerked a thumb at Aya and winked. "Let us begin simple, did that blonde guy have anything to do with last night?" 

Manni paused for a long time before even trying to phrase an answer. "Why do you need to know?" She managed at last, keeping her weary face downcast still.

"Well, I am assuming, my dear, that you are in need of help. And it is more our business than you know." Aya threw Youji a look of fire and had to resist the urge to hit the older man along the side of the head. Instead, he quickly tried to cover Youji's mindless error.

"…He means-"

Manni cut him off. "I do not need to know." She sighed and looked up, measuring each man carefully. "After all that you have done for me…I have no choice but to trust you." She bit her lip. "I believe I owe you at least an explanation." She fidgeted before beginning to unweave a net of information to the two, informing them of major details and events that would allude up to the present. 

"It all begins years ago in Berlin. I worked for a man who was involved with some…strange dealings. I never have been sure what they were, but I knew it wasn't anything good. I wanted out of the position I was in and every time I tried to quit something went wrong. Eventually I talked to him about leaving and he agreed to allow me to leave if I paid him twenty thousand deutsche marks in exactly a year." Manni stopped there and pressed her face into her hands.

"You had to pay a man to leave Berlin?" Youji asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "What kind of work did you do for him?" Aya tossed the older man a look that plainly said _What do you think asshole?_ Youji frowned back and tried to cover his last remark. "I take it you have not paid him back?" The girl shook her head.

"I've tried everything. I tried to get the money, I moved out of the country for god's sakes and he still hunted me down!" The two florists watched her silently. "It will be a year two weeks from yesterday."

"Why don't you go to the police?" Manni sighed and looked up at the two.

"Kristian is a powerful man." Youji moved from the wall and dropped down on a box beside her, slinging a lanky arm around her shoulders. He threw a suggestive gaze to Aya, and the redhead knew exactly what he was thinking. He offered no protest.

"If Persia or Manx finds out Youji…" Youji nodded to Aya's quiet warning.

"_Hai, Hai. _ I know. We're in it. But Aya…" Youji knew Aya had a good heart hidden inside his ice cold attitude, and knew that he would agree to letting the girl stay. He was sure that Ken and Omi would happily oblige as well, knowing full-well that both of them would do anything to help someone in need. "_Hai?_"

Aya nodded and started to go out door they came in, but paused and turned around, looking the girl square in the eyes. "If we let you stay here, under our protection, your mouth will stay shut, and if it doesn't, I will kill you myself like I should have last night when you saw us kill that man." The girl nodded slowly, a smile slowly creeping up on to her face.

"_Hai! Hai,_ of course! Thank you!" she finally burst out and grinned widely. Aya wisely left the room, the fear of the girl pouncing on him and hugging him great. She turned to Youji and beamed up at him. "_Doomo Arigatou Gozaimasu_…" She paused, unsure of his name. 

"Kudou Youji." He offered peeling his arm away from her shoulders and offering his hand. Manni took it gratefully and the two stood up, shaking hands.

"Lorenz Manni. _Hajimimoshite_." The two talked quietly to each other and Youji led her back into the main shop. Glancing around the small flower shop she knew at last that everything was going to be alright.

**Authors note** Anou: Finally chapter three. *eh…it is three ne? GAHH*

It's taken forever to write it but I got ill and took a couple days off school and here it is. I suppose it is ok. It is a second draft and the only thing I hate about doing second drafts is that sometimes there are things from the first drafts that you'd like to put in but you just cant and they get left out. I dunno. I'll shut up. But uhm. Hope you enjoy it. Comments & criticism welcome. Danke Schon.

*note* 20,000 dm is roughly 10,000 American.


End file.
